Argentine Black and White Tegu
The Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) is the largest tegu, a South American lizard that can exceed a meter in length. It is notable among lizards for being able to warm its body above the air temperature, and it is invasive in Florida.
The Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) is the largest tegu, a South American lizard that can exceed a meter in length. It is notable among lizards for being able to warm its body above the air temperature, and it is invasive in Florida.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Argentine Black and White Tegu in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Partly Warm-Blooded? Seasonal Endothermy
During the breeding season, tegus raise their body temperature by several degrees to about ten degrees Celsius above the surroundings, mainly at night, a finding reported in 2016. This is a form of facultative endothermy, unusual for a reptile.
Diet and Behavior
Tegus eat fruit, insects, eggs and small vertebrates, and are intelligent and fast. In cool seasons they retreat to burrows and become dormant.
An Invasive Species
Escaped and released pets have established breeding populations in Florida, where they prey on the eggs of ground-nesting birds and reptiles, including threatened sea turtles and American alligators. Wildlife agencies are working to contain them.
Argentine Black and White Tegu at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Salvator merianae |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Teiidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia (Reptiles) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Endothermic seasonal heat production, deeply forked tongue, large jowls in mature males. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2016 |
| Native range | South America |
| Notable trait | Seasonal endothermy |